Folic Acid-induced Injury Research Articles

Tubule-derived lactate is required for fibroblast activation in acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a highly prevalent medical syndrome associated with high mortality and morbidity. Several types of cells, including epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and macrophages, participate in the development of AKI. Recently, renal fibroblasts were found to play an important role in the regulation of tubular injury, repair, and recovery after AKI. However, the mechanisms underlying fibroblast activation and proliferation during the progression of AKI remain unclear. In the present study, we found many activated myofibroblasts located in the renal interstitium with an abundance of extracellular matrix deposition following folic acid-induced AKI. The proliferative pattern of tubular epithelial cells and interstitial cells following acute injury was different, indicating that the proliferation of fibroblasts followed the proliferation of tubular epithelial cells. Furthermore, we observed that proliferative tubular epithelial cells preferred aerobic glycolysis as the dominating metabolic pathway in the progression of AKI. Lactate generated from injured tubules was taken up by interstitial fibroblasts in the later stages of AKI, which induced fibroblast activation and proliferation in vitro. Early inhibition of lactate production in tubules by glycolytic inhibitors suppressed fibroblast activation after folic acid-induced injury. Collectively, these results support the important role of fibroblasts in the development of AKI and suggest that lactate produced by glycolysis in tubular epithelial cells is a novel regulator of fibroblast activation and proliferation.

Troy/TNFRSF19 marks epithelial progenitor cells during mouse kidney development that continue to contribute to turnover in adult kidney

During kidney development, progressively committed progenitor cells give rise to the distinct segments of the nephron, the functional unit of the kidney. Similar segment-committed progenitor cells are thought to be involved in the homeostasis of adult kidney. However, markers for most segment-committed progenitor cells remain to be identified. Here, we evaluate Troy/TNFRSF19 as a segment-committed nephron progenitor cell marker. Troy is expressed in the ureteric bud during embryonic development. During postnatal nephrogenesis, Troy+ cells are present in the cortex and papilla and display an immature tubular phenotype. Tracing of Troy+ cells during nephrogenesis demonstrates that Troy+ cells clonally give rise to tubular structures that persist for up to 2 y after induction. Troy+ cells have a 40-fold higher capacity than Troy- cells to form organoids, which is considered a stem cell property in vitro. In the adult kidney, Troy+ cells are present in the papilla and these cells continue to contribute to collecting duct formation during homeostasis. The number of Troy-derived cells increases after folic acid-induced injury. Our data show that Troy marks a renal stem/progenitor cell population in the developing kidney that in adult kidney contributes to homeostasis, predominantly of the collecting duct, and regeneration.